Let's Talk ... Child Care » temperamenthttp://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare
Helping Early Childhood Professionals reach for the stars!Thu, 26 Feb 2015 15:37:37 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1Let’s Talk…Pretzels vs. Rubber Bandshttp://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/temperament3/
http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/temperament3/#commentsMon, 24 Nov 2014 08:00:50 +0000http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/?p=1660We have talked about temperament and “goodness of fit.” The ECMHC’s Infant Toddler Temperament Tool (IT3) shares with you (or a parent!) an array of simple strategies that can be used to best support the unique temperament of each child within your care when completed. And I love this article by Karen Stephens on Strategies for Parenting Children with Difficult Temperament as well as The Temperament Trap: Recognizing and Accommodating Children’s Personalities by Susan Culpepper.

So what about pretzels vs. rubber bands? As early childhood professionals and parents, we have heard that we as the adults need to be the one to adjust once we have the understanding of temperament. Right? But, this has led many of us to twist and contort ourselves to the breaking point – hard & brittle like a pretzel. We need to think about this with a more balanced approach – more like a rubber band. Allowing ourselves time to stretch and grow to meet the child’s needs. If we adjust too much too quickly, then the rubber band will snap. But if we move at a steady pace to meet the child’s unique “shape” we will find our rubber band encircling that child with the support he or she needs and more easily adaptable in different situations.

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http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/temperament2/#commentsMon, 17 Nov 2014 08:00:04 +0000http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/?p=1654What?! Another acronym to add to our early childhood alphabet soup language? Deep breaths….Perhaps you have already heard the expression “goodness of fit.” Last week we shared about giving thought to a child’s temperament and the function behind their behavior when using support structures to help a child find social success in your program. Now think about your own temperament. Are your temperaments different? Are they similar? When the two temperaments come together is a there a “goodness of fit”?

Check out this handout from the University of Wisconsin Extension on Goodness of Fit to reflect more on GOF. I really like the seven quick scenarios to test your knowledge.

I know of two tools to help you think about “goodness of fit” between you and a child in your program (can also be shared with parents!) :

What about not just in terms of caregiver, but in terms of “goodness of fit” of the program? Some programs are louder than others. Some programs are more structured than others. Some programs have more continuity of care than others. Is there a way to help parents think about their child’s temperament related to the program’s temperament BEFORE enrollment?

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http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/temperament1/#commentsMon, 10 Nov 2014 19:53:45 +0000http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/?p=1650When a child has a fever of 102 degrees, a medical professional considers that a symptom of something. The doctor has to figure out if this fever is due to influenza or bacterial meningitis or maybe urinary tract infection in order to know how best to treat the fever. The same is true with behavior. When children come into our classroom with challenging behaviors, we MUST take the same individual approach. A medical professional will ask the child and caregiver questions, perhaps run some tests and, of course, complete an exam of the child in order to determine the cause of the fever to best treat it. We have to think the same way with inappropriate behaviors in our program – a behavior detective of sorts. Once we understand the function of the behavior, then we can appropriately “treat” it – giving that child the supports he or she needs to find success. If we “treat” each child and challenging behavior the same, then there are going to be times where the behavior continues because we haven’t fully considered what is causing the behavior. Just like acetaminophen might give some relief to the child (& caregiver) with a fever, it is possibly only a temporary fix if the root of the fever has not been addressed.

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http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/temperament-tool/#commentsThu, 29 Aug 2013 19:14:17 +0000http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/?p=1209 I ran across a “new to me” tool related to temperament today. As a reminder, temperament describes those nine inborn traits that impact how a child reacts to others and his or her environment. We as adults also fall somewhere on each of the nine temperament traits continuum that impact how we react to others – including children in our care.

The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation has created an online tool to use to think about a child’s temperament along with your temperament and activities related to each of the nine traits that are good fits. Love it! You can find the temperament tool here – http://www.ecmhc.org/temperament/index.html

I encourage you to complete the temperament tool on a child that might be exhibiting some behaviors that you find challenging. You will likely get some activity ideas (based upon both of your temperament traits) that will help build your positive relationship with that young child. Hard copies are also available for download (great for sharing with parents!) including Spanish versions.

In my child care I have one little guy (3 1/2 yr old) that has started throwing fits when asked to pick up toys or anything. He literally throws himself on the floor, kicking, screaming, yelling, he spits on my floor or me and I am just not sure what else to try. This makes for a very stressful day for me and the other kids. He thinks everything is funny! I am not sure what I can do to change this. It just is getting worse every day! Please help! Thanks!

Handling meltdown situations such as these can be challenging and stressful. However, know that when I look back on my experiences as an early educator it is often the children that challenged me the most that I feel the strongest connection to! Here are some thoughts/suggestions:

Schedule a time to talk with the child’s parents when it is convenient for both of you. Be open and honest about the challenge you are facing while also sharing with them the strengths you see in their child. See what suggestions they might have and if it is possible for you to give those a try in your child care setting.

Chart when the meltdowns are happening and what you observed before it happened. This may give you some clues about what is triggering the undesired behavior. Is it during transitions or when meals are getting close? Does the frustration come about when trying to interact socially with other children? Does it happen when there has been a long period without attention from you or at a time where over-stimulation might be occurring? Remember that every behavior has a function! And we have to be detectives to try and figure out what the function of this behavior is in order to help the child better manage his or her needs.

Think of a tantrum such as this like surfing a huge wave. When the child is at the peak of that ride is not the time where any teaching can occur. We have to try our best just before the wave or in those initial stages to redirect or give needed attention. Once the child hits a certain point in the wave, s/he is emotionally not able to come back until s/he rides it through. Stay calm and try your best to keep him or her safe. Once the ride is over, children are usually shaken by the release of emotion. Try to be reassuring that you care and that the two of you will work through this. This does not mean you approve of the behavior, but helps the child know s/he is still worthy of love. Remind yourself that most children only release this type of emotion with people they feel safe and comfortable with. The more calm you can stay, the quicker the episode will de-escalate.

Have you considered taking a Positive Behavior Intervention Support course? If you are in Iowa, check with your local CCR&R or AEA organization about classes in your area. This resource will provide you with specific strategies to teach children with challenging behaviors social and emotional skills. It will provide you with a “toolbox” of ideas such as scripted stories, the turtle technique, steps to solve problems, and giving names to feelings.

ISU Extension and Outreach has a publication on temper tantrums that is FREE to download. It offers some excellent suggestions!

Keep in mind that if you recognized a child in your program was struggling with motor or cognitive skills, you would provide positive opportunities for the child to develop those skills. We as early childhood professionals have to strive to work with a child struggling in the social/emotional area in the same way.

A ‘heads up’ of what is coming next… ie in 10 min we will clean up, in 5 min we will clean up – in the long run giving him warnings about what is going to happen next will take less time than the tantrum.

Also when you give the heads up let him know what your expectation will be…. in 10 minutes we will clean up and your job will be the ‘x’… be specific and make sure it is smaller and manageable.

Vary your warnings so that each time he has to ‘think’ about what you said…. in 5 min I can’t wait to give you a high five for picking up ‘x’.

These steps may not work every time but don’t give up… he will soon come to realize that you have expectations and that you give him more positive attention when he follows through.

Hope this has been helpful and has provided you with the encouragement you need to help this child (and you!) through this challenge. Blog readers, do you have suggestions for our colleague? We would love for you to share your ideas in the comment section!

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http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/temperament-2/#commentsMon, 20 Feb 2012 05:42:02 +0000http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/?p=793Lori Hayungs is a member of the team here at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. She is super excited to share with all of us this month’s Science of Parenting podcast on the “engine” that drives a child and how we can best support that engine. Malisa

One of my very favorite topics and people is the focus of this month’s Science of Parentingpodcast. As child care providers this information is essential to making your days less stressful and energy draining. In fact with Mary’s tips you can find that learning about temperament can add MORE energy to your days! Some of my favorite quotes from this months information are below.

“There are kids who are like the Chevy truck — it will get you where you want and it’s very dependable,” Kurcinka said. On the other hand, “some children, by their very nature, have a more active arousal system. Some of them have what we would call a Lamborghini engine inside. It takes more skill to work with spirited kids, but the ride is also much more exciting.”

]]>http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/temperament-2/feed/1Let’s Talk…Transition to Schoolhttp://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/transition-to-school/
http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/transition-to-school/#commentsWed, 10 Aug 2011 12:00:25 +0000http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/?p=275It is the time of year when parents and children all have thoughts of starting or returning to school. Emotions vary based upon children’s temperaments and experiences. Some children are eager for this transition while others might be anxious or nervous. Here are some tips for you and the families in your early childhood program to help in easing that transition –

Engage in natural conversations with children about what they might be feeling. Children who feel secure and comfortably able to talk about their concerns, needs or ideas will likely enter new situations with more ease.

Be calm and supportive. Too much enthusiastic talk about the transition might send the message that you are anxious and cause unnecessary fears.

Visit the new school or classroom. Visibly being able to picture yourself in an environment can help ease the fears of the unknown.

To ease separation anxiety, it helps when parents can establish a ritual such as a big bear hug and a wave at the window to provide a comforting good-bye routine for their child.

Books can be a great way to introduce a major transition such as starting school to young children. This naturally opens the door of communication to help you support a child in this new endeavor. Here are some of my favorites –

Back to School Tortoise is a great book (with a surprise ending!) for those that might be a bit anxious as Tortoise is worried about falling down or not liking lunch.

Wow! School! would be a great read for those that are enthusiastic about starting school as Izzy shows that same emotion. Children will love seeing familiar items in the drawings such as a few of their favorite books.

This is only the tip of the iceberg! There are always the classics such as Spot Goes to School and Maisy Goes to Preschool. Do you have a favorite children’s literature you share with children at this time of year?

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http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/temperament/#commentsWed, 27 Jul 2011 12:00:22 +0000http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/childcare/?p=149Have there ever been children that you struggled to make a connection with? I have been fortunate to have a co-teacher with all of my classroom teaching experiences. This has given me valuable insight into recognizing how much of a role temperament plays in the relationship between children and adults. Everyone is born with certain temperament traits. Some of us naturally have a high activity level and are constantly moving and need to be doing something. Others are less active and feel satisfied without constantly moving and doing. Even as babies some of us were more outgoing, while others were more slow to warm up to new situations and people. I would describe myself as more on the outgoing and active side, but I had a fabulous co-teacher who was more on the reserved side. One of the things that made us a great team was her recognition and understanding of children with temperaments more similar to hers. I would be off on a bear hunt adventure with a crew of kids – our animated voices and chatter filling the room as we crawled under “logs” and swam through the “river.” I would look across the room and see her sharing a quiet moment with a child in the reading corner who wasn’t wild about the idea of moving loudly around the classroom in search of a bear. I was so thankful she was able to make that meaningful connection.
One of the things we need to recognize in ourselves is our own temperament, how it affects the kind of teacher we are, and how we tend to naturally be drawn to those with similar temperaments. If we have a more flexible temperament, it can hard to understand the child who gets upset when the structure of the day changes a bit due to a teachable moment. If we have a high sensory threshold, it can be hard to be sensitive to the child that is easily irritated by his socks being on funny or a tag on her shirt. The challenge for us as early educators is not to try and change children’s temperament to what we prefer (this will only result in frustration for you and the child), but to recognize the strengths in the continuum of temperaments. An excellent resource has been developed by the Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. This tool helps you give thought to your own temperament, the temperament of the children in your program, and tips to foster the unique development of each child. The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) also has great information on temperament and why it is our job to adjust with strategies that make for a positive experience for each child in our program.

What have been your experiences with children who have a very different temperament than your own? How can we share this information with parents who are normally quiet and shy when they share with us their frustration because their child is constantly loud and making noise? What can we say to very social, more “out-going” parents who are troubled because their shy child won’t hug family members at gatherings?